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Sugar Ninjas
Sugar Ninjas is a dual anthology of work by female cartoonists. Each issue has two volumes, the mature-content "Spicy" and the all-ages "Sweet". History The anthology was founded by Professor Bob Pendarvis, who taught the first comics art class at the Savannah College of Art and Design, going on to create and co-found their very successful Sequential Art BFA and MFA degree programs. He was frustrated with how female students would have to defend their more feminine styles and interests, and how the male students continually failed to recognize how the history of American comics was filled with sexism, both on and off the pages. In his Survey of Sequential Art class, Pendarvais would foster discussion of how both conscious and unconscious sexism in society had contributed to the relative dearth of prominent female creators. He founded the Sugar Ninjas to showcase the work of his female students of the sequential arts, including comic books, comic strips, picture books, and animation, as well as female artists of other fields, such as photography and painting. However, he was let go after more than 18 years at SCAD before he could finish assembling the first volume. Meanwhile, some of the students asked if their friends could submit work, and it soon expanded beyond SCAD students. Working with his first assistant, Zelda Ravenel, he decided to have two separate books for each volume, "Sweet", featuring relatively family-friendly material, and "Spicy", aimed at “mature” readers. All of the work contained in each volume is copyrighted exclusively by the creators, and the books are sold at printing cost only. The Sugar Ninjas features work by women who have worked for mainstream companies (such as Rebekah Isaacs), popular webcomic creators (Elena Barbarich, Jennie Breeden, Danielle Corsetto, and Becky Dreisdadt), and small press publishers. The books contain a variety of genres, and the content is directed solely by the individual desires and visions of the creators. Pendarvis hopes to eventually be able to host a "Sugarcon" convention that would include Sugar Ninjas and other female artist/writers, as well as female-friendly publishers and editors. His current assistant editor for both the website and the books is Gally Articola, a colorist and refurbisher for the Official Marvel Handbooks. The Title Pendarvis originally planned on doing one huge book that would be named "Sugar & Spice"-- the idea being that girls can write and draw sweet and adorable art and stories, but they can also create material that is anything but. One of his students, Tiffany "Muffin" Woicikowfski, mentioned "sugar ninjas and spicy pirates", and it occurred to him that "sugar ninjas" summed up the whole idea: that these talented girls are "hidden" in plain sight, waiting for the right time to make their presence known to the comics community at large, hence their motto: :“Like their ancient warrior-assassin counterparts, the SUGAR NINJAS have lived and worked virtually unnoticed by their male peers in the comics community, waiting patiently for just the right moment…TO MAKE THEIR MARK!”Sugarninjas.org - About Cover Gallery SugarNinjas1Sweet.jpg|Volume 1 - Sweet SugarNinjas1Spicy.jpg|Volume 1 - Spicy SugarNinjas2Sweet.jpg|Volume 2 - Sweet SugarNinjas2Spicy.jpg|Volume 2 - Spicy SugarNinjas3Sweet.jpg|Volume 3 - Sweet SugarNinjas3Spicy.jpg|Volume 3 - Spicy SugarNinjas4-SweetOnly.jpg|Volume 4 - Sweet SugarNinjas4-SweetSpicy.jpg|Volume 4 - Sweet & Spicy Volume 1 Published 2009 Sweet Cover by Daria Theodora * Sofia Alexander * Heidi Arnhold * Kristy Bourgeois * Melanie Carson * Barbara "Ms. Squeaks" Chapman * Meg Corbett * Amanda Coronado * Erica Leigh Currey * Whitney Dail * Becky Dreisdadt * Diana Drolshagen * Cali Earp * Melanie Florencio * Kate Gill * Dawn Griffin * Meg Gullotto * Heidi Halabuda * Lilly Higgs * Kristin Hogan * Brianna Husband * Jennifer Janviere * Kate Kasenow * B.L. "Zeda" Koelher * Maarta Laiho * Roxanne Larson * Dr. Kara Leopard * C. Lijewski * Emily McGuiness * Jasmine Milberger * Sloan Moore * Aja Moore Young * Cayce Moyer * Sarah Myer * Dawn Nakama * Alexa Pasztor * Missy Pena * Michelle Poust * Melanie Pritchard * Zelda Ravenel * Chloe Roberts * Avantika Saha * Emily Sampson * Stacey Schaeffer * Sebychu * Kat Shea * Laurel Shelley-Reuss * Katiana Simms * Brandy Skidmore * Diana Smith * Stephanie Stuebs * Jennifer Tanner * Beth Taylor * Daria Theodora * Tabitha Thompson * Holly Tickner * Aerin Toeler * Ainsley Waller * Mary Weaver * Samantha Wikan * Wendy Witherow * Tiffany "Muffin" Woicikowfski * Michelle Yunker * Sarah Zaidan * Ming Zhang Spicy Cover by Daria Theodora * Sofia Alexander * Grace Allison * Gally Articola * Hannah Artwick * Hilary Anne Austin * Tiffany Bandome * Elena "Yamiloo" Barbarich * Alexandra Becker * Shazzbaa Bennett * Caroline Brannen * Jennie Breeden * Suppitha "Annie" Bunyapen * Jordan Chancellor * Dorothy Colp * Beth Concepcion * Amanda Cunningham * Whitney Dail * Hannah Davis * Amy Donohoe * Janessa Douglas * Becky Dreisdadt * Nicole Edge * Rebecca Fedun * Melanie Florencio * Rae Lyn Fox * Amber Gant * Kate Gill * Noelle Giffin * Dawn Griffin * Meg Gullotto * Heidi Halabuda * Cathy Hannah * Georgina Harmon * Christina Hellebush * Lilly Higgs * April Hoera * Kristin Hogan * Brianna Husband * Jennifer Janviere * Yvette Strickland Johnston * Amanda Kahl * Kate Kasenow * Jen Keith * Da Hye Kim * Jung-Ha Kim * B.L. "Zeda" Koelher * Nicky Kyle * Maarta Laiho * Roxanne Larson * Sloane Leong * Dr. Kara Leopard * Megan Levens * Heather Lewis * C. Lijewski * Catherine Mason * Emily McGuiness * Elle Medina * Alex Mejias * Jasmine Milberger * Nicole J Miller * Dawn Nakama * Kamryn Nordsiek * Annah Peterson * Cassandra Poulson * Inma R. * Christa Rosenkranz * Avantika Saha * Megan Sanders * Sarah Shaw * Laurel Shelley-Reuss * Heather Surprenant * Daria Theodora * Kat Valliant * Lauren Westendorf * Liz Wigglesworth * Wendy Witherow * Yidi Yu * Ming Zhang Volume 2 Published August 2010 Sweet Cover by Amanda Coronado *Amanda Coronado *Barbara Chapman *Melanie Carson *Becky Dreistadt *Boum *Jessi Reid & Danielle Corsetto *Kamryn Nordsiek *Nikki Floreno *Dawn Griffin *Rae Lyn Fox *Rebecca Buchman *Laurel Shelley-Reuss *Sebychu *Sarah Myer *Ming Zhang *Amy Donohoe *Loan Goodman *Christa De Mayo *Crissy Powell *Heather Surprenant *Nora Arnette *Joanna Harrop *Lucy Kagan *Michelle Poust *Courtney Taylor *B.L. "Zeda" Koelher *Alexis Villanueva *Missi Nespolo *Kate Gill *Meredith Randazzo *Sofia Alexander *Rebecca Fedun *Jessica Jones *Victoria Alexander *Kelli Andrews *Meg Corbett *Tabitha Thompson *Jen Tanner *Anna Ferrara *Brianna Alexander *Marianne Lutes *Anna Lencioni *Cali Earp *Alex Mejias *Julie Herron *Yidi Yu *Daria Theodora Spicy Cover by Amanda Francis *C. Lijewski *Daria Theodora *Alex Mejias *Kaylie McDougal *Tiffany Woicikowfski *Kamryn Nordsiek *Nicky Kyle *Mia Jenkins *Amanda Kahl *Wendy Witherow *Yidi Yu *Brooke Stephenson *Sloane Leong *Amanda Francis *Gally Articola *Laurel Shelley-Reuss *Sarah Myer *Amy Donohoe *Zeda Chan *Heather Lewis *M.E. Bartley *Christina Powell *Mara Aum *Beth Lewis *Latasha Moore *Heather Surprenant *Lindsey Wagner *Cassandra Wedeking *Heidi Halabuda *Avi Shaha *Jennifer Braunstein *Boum *Zoe Moss *Meg Golding *Vanessa Ferano *Kyle Ladd *Patty Boyd *Aerin Toler *Aja Moore-Young *Andrea Morton *Pamikoo *Chandra Poropsingh *Christine Wu *Cayce Moyer *Anna Lencioni Volume 3 Published November 2011 Sweet Cover by Barbara "Ms. Squeaks" Chapman *Ms. Squeaks *Daria Theodora *Boum *Kat Shea *Meghan and Layne Penton *Jaxxy *Kami *Lucy Kagan *Nikki Floreno *Cali Earp *Rachel Ordway *Jessi Reid and Danielle Corsetto *Jessi Reid and Erin Gladstone *Sara "Pinky" Vivanco *Amanda Coronado *Laurel Shelley-Reuss *Alexis Villanueva *Kristin Hogan *Dana T. Yang *Kelli Michelle Andrews *Heather Haynes *Jhenne Tyler "J.T." Beauford *Monique Bos *Tiffany "Tai" Session *Brianna Alexander *Genny George *Martha Vann *Shauna J. Grant *Gally Articola *Charla *Roxanne Larson *Marianne Lutes *Meghan Corbett *Liz Young *Shouri *Vanessa Satone *Miao Yun Kuang *Meg "Has Issues" Golding *Katie Keller-Nieman *Amy Donohoe *Aja Moore-Young *Alexa "Lexi" Pasztor *Heidi Arnhold *Chandra Poropsing Spicy Cover by Alex Mejias *Alex Mejias *Mara Aum *Michelle Silva *Patty Boyd *Terra "Danger" Keck *C. Ellis *Amanda Kahl *Katiana Simms *Nina Morales *Nori Zay *Amy Donohoe *Boum *Daria Theodora *Laurel Shelley-Reuss *Heather Surprenant *Chelsea Crutchley *Shouri *Julie Herron *Cayce Moyer *Melanie Carson *Jen Keith *Jhenne Tyler "J.T." Beauford *Kate Gill *Rebecca Fedun *Stacy Clark *Lucy Kagan *Anna Cooper *Amy Minium *B.L. "Zeda" Koelher *Hannah Artwick *Heidi Halabuda *Seren P.D. *Banky *Aimee Fleck *Alicia Schwalm *Felicia North *Khale McHurst *Heather Nunnelly *Yidi Yu Volume 4 Volume 4 published one "Sweet" volume for all ages, and another volume containing the "Sweet" stories in addition to the "Spicy" stories. Published July 2014. Sweet Spicy Sources Category:Publications